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IKEA's Charlotte Store


monsoon

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This is much better. Obviously, it still has many of the problems inherent in big box suburban land uses, but I think they have mitigated it much better in this version than the previous versions.

I'd say as long as the economics still bring about the other connectivity improvements, then that will be a major help for the area, despite the larger number of cars coming into this project.

As I have written, I won't be a customer here, but it is good to have the tax revenue and the prestige that goes along with having a retailer that pulls from such a wide market.

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I am curious as to how visible IKEA will actually be from the Interstate...Is the city trying to avoid I-85 becoming like ATL where there are no provisions for a tree buffer? If this is the case then alright, but I guess the concerns from IKEA's standpoint is that they like to be "visable" for passer-by's. This gives them free advertisement in a sense and helps new comers and visitors know exactly where they are from a visual perspective.

So my question is, How visiable will IKEA be from 85? Are we talking Rooms to Go type visablity (further South on 85), or something more along the lines of an office park pushed further back with limited to no visability???

A2

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I am curious as to how visible IKEA will actually be from the Interstate...Is the city trying to avoid I-85 becoming like ATL where there are no provisions for a tree buffer? If this is the case then alright, but I guess the concerns from IKEA's standpoint is that they like to be "visable" for passer-by's. This gives them free advertisement in a sense and helps new comers and visitors know exactly where they are from a visual perspective.

So my question is, How visiable will IKEA be from 85? Are we talking Rooms to Go type visablity (further South on 85), or something more along the lines of an office park pushed further back with limited to no visability???

A2

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To go along with the new IKEA the City is looking at doing a $6M "grant" to help build the new connector road from City Blvd to McCullough. The developer would build the road and then be reimbursed from the City through property tax refunds. The grant would be capped at around $6M so the developer would be responsible for any cost overruns. The other advantage of this setup is the developer is donating the land for the road which saves about $3M in the cost of building it.

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Do you guys think that the group protesting the IKEA will have a material impact on the development? I have heard many complain about the signage and the shear size, but these guys don't want the IKEA at all. Their argument is about the scope of the development given the situation with the already overcrowded roads and infastructure. (which does have merit IMO)

http://www.charlotte.com/122/story/88196.html

A2

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The stripping of this land of its trees to create an IKEA/Super Walmart site should not be allowed by the city. IKEA wants to cut down all the trees on I-85 so people will be forced to look at its huge 500 sq/ft sign. I can't think of a worse place in the city to put this for a number of reasons.

Unfortunately it's my guess the protests of these people won't make any difference. I wish them well, but Crescent (aka Duke Energy) has a lot of pull in this city and when they want to build sprawl on on greenfield space, they almost always get their way. Lets all remember where the Mayor works. If Charlotte was really progressive, they should say no and instead, "if you want some tax relief, then put IKEA on brown field somewhere else."

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Do you guys think that the group protesting the IKEA will have a material impact on the development? I have heard many complain about the signage and the shear size, but these guys don't want the IKEA at all. Their argument is about the scope of the development given the situation with the already overcrowded roads and infastructure. (which does have merit IMO)

http://www.charlotte.com/122/story/88196.html

A2

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The city shouldn't allow massive treed areas to be decimated so people can see a sign.

I never understood what the big deal is about Ikea. Doesn't Ikea carry stuff you can buy online in a second flat?

Only 50 miles from Charlotte exists a unique furniture/home design complex that doesn't exist anywhere else in the States. The Hickory Furniture Mart is totally worth the drive, and it takes all day to see the whole complex. Quality.

We all have different tastes, but I think what already exists in Hickory is much more exciting than Ikea. And no more trees would have to be destroyed.

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Charlotte's gotta start smart growth similar to Portland one day. I saw some pictures of it the other day and portland looked amazing by using it's smart growth plan. Such a vibrant downtown. This is something I definately don't think Portland would allow to happen. I mean I think in my opinion the university area is a lost cause when it comes to sprawl however I don't think that gives them a right to continue this trend.

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Charlotte's gotta start smart growth similar to Portland one day. I saw some pictures of it the other day and portland looked amazing by using it's smart growth plan. Such a vibrant downtown. This is something I definately don't think Portland would allow to happen. I mean I think in my opinion the university area is a lost cause when it comes to sprawl however I don't think that gives them a right to continue this trend.
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From the press release for the Portland store:

"Under construction on nearly 19 acres at the southwestern corner of I-205 and Airport Way, the IKEA store will be located at the eastern end of Cascade Station, a 120-acre mixed use development of office, hotel and retail in a pedestrian-friendly environment adjacent to the Portland International Airport. Seventy-five bicycle racks and two light-rail stations will provide convenient access for coworkers as well as for customers, who may use the home delivery service IKEA offers."

There is no reason Charlotte shouldn't push for all these features.

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Crescent has already stated they plan to do a mixed use development across the street from IKEA...so we will have to wait and see how it compares with Cascade Station in Portland which was built in 1999 and sat dormant for 6 years before IKEA came along. If you go Google Earth the Portland IKEA site you will see something rather bizarre...a nicely landscaped boulevard and 2 LRT stations located in the middle of a huge grassy field out by the airport.

The Portland IKEA store is not all roses. After reading this article there are some on their City Council that don't like IKEA's 100ft sign by the Interstate (sound familiar?) and think it is illegal.

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If that happens, it will be a first for Crescent. They are responsible for some of the worst development in the county and for that matter the Carolinas.

The exact same thing was said about North Lake Mall, the posts are here on UrbanPlanet, and look how that is turning out.

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As an aside, both the NJ Ikea and the Portland Ikea were built on brownfields. I think the Atlantic Station Ikea is also on a brownfield. The Cascade Corridor has been plagued by major groundwater contamination issues for years. Granted, it looks like a nice green area, it has a legacy of industrial contamination. Too bad our leaders did not focus on a greyfield or brownfield (I'm not sure if we have any of sufficient size with such a great location in Charlotte). Regardless, Ikea could have been a key player in revitalizing Independence, Wilkerson, or Eastland.

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As an aside, both the NJ Ikea and the Portland Ikea were built on brownfields. I think the Atlantic Station Ikea is also on a brownfield. The Cascade Corridor has been plagued by major groundwater contamination issues for years. Granted, it looks like a nice green area, it has a legacy of industrial contamination. Too bad our leaders did not focus on a greyfield or brownfield (I'm not sure if we have any of sufficient size with such a great location in Charlotte). Regardless, Ikea could have been a key player in revitalizing Independence, Wilkerson, or Eastland.
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I forget where I heard this...it was either in one of the papers or at the rezoning meeting, but Crescent indicated that they sold the land to Ikea at below market prices. In essence they subsidized the Ikea knowing that it would be a large traffic generator to the site and would bring in people that otherwise would not be in the area. They hope to make their money back on the mixed use development that will be able to charge higher rents to tenets so they can be close to Ikea.

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Hard to imagine a mixed used development that includes the largest big box in the state and a SuperWalmart. It sounds to me as if they are making excuses for stripping 130+ acres of forest for a big strip mall in an area that simply doesn't need another strip mall.

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^ Yeah I couldn't agree more with what you said, but in the same instance I don't understand why people think this would be a prime spot for an "urban development". The types of purchases people will be making, wouldn't be something you could carry on a train or bus. Ikea is more of a tourist destination, where probably over 90% (if not even higher than that) would get there by car.

They could have done better, by selecting a brownfield site as some suggested, but I kind of understand their rationale for the site, close to UNCC, other tourist area like Concord Mills and the Speedway, and within proximity of Uptown while being off a main interstate, I-85. Even though this isn't the best, I'm still optimistic, because the money this thing makes, will generate income for the city and not for surrounding suburban counties.

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City Council member Michael Barnes has come up with a possible way for IKEA to abandon their proposed 75ft tower sign by the interstate. If the city renames the unconstructed part of City Blvd to Ikea Blvd, then IKEA agrees to delete the 75 ft sign from its rezoning request. I think that is a great solution to getting rid of what would be an atrocious sign.

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City Council member Michael Barnes has come up with a possible way for IKEA to abandon their proposed 75ft tower sign by the interstate. If the city renames the unconstructed part of City Blvd to Ikea Blvd, then IKEA agrees to delete the 75 ft sign from its rezoning request. I think that is a great solution to getting rid of what would be an atrocious sign.
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LOL...this is the Charlotte City Council we are talking about here. Cities nationwide have rolled over for IKEA and made exceptions to their planning policies to accomidate them, Charlotte being no exception. I consider it a minor miracle that they would be able to get rid of the origianlly planned 100 ft sign completely.

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